My husband mounted a homemade birdhouse on the post holding up our clothes line that has a family of sparrows living in it. Even though the female scares the beejeebers out of me by dashing away when I hang laundry on the line, I’m delighted shes there. Whats even neater is I can hear the tiny chirping of her new family of birds (and if I was taller than 5-feet I’d probably be able to stand on my toes to see them). I know she has plenty of mouths to feed, which is good news to this gardener.

Birds as Natural Pest Control

It’s a wise move to encourage birds in the garden. They consume a tremendous amount of insects, particularly the caterpillars and grubs that do a fair amount of damage to early spring transplants.

For example, killdeer are one of my favorites. Not only are they big insect eaters (particularly the grasshoppers that drive me crazy) theyre the birds known for feigning injury to lure predators away from their nest. They have hutzpa.

Attracting Birds to the Garden

If you want birds to help you with your insect situation, you have to make a comfortable place for them to live, or at least visit since some are just passing through, but still need to stop for a bite to eat. Besides a sound meal, having adequate structure is critical. They need spaces for cover and nesting. Learn what species live in your area to create an appropriate environment.

Killdeer prefer gravelly areas where they can lay their spectacled eggs that blend into the terrain. In many cases, they opt for a driveway, but will take advantage of areas of the garden that suit their needs with fewer disturbances. At the very least, protect any nests you find so youll have more insect eaters in the future. When they nest in our lawn, I flag off areas so we avoid them with the mower or kick ball.

For others you’ll need to erect nesting boxes during the winter so theyre new abode is ready for them in the spring. Since most areas of the country are already well past winter(except here in Great Falls, Montana where we under yet another winter weather advisory) its still okay to put up boxes for the species that visit your garden. That way the birds can check out their options for next year.

Finishing Off

When setting up a haven for birds, think about giving them protection from overhead predators such as hawks, as well as keeping them out of reach of the family cat. Im planting large shrubs such as chokecherries and elderberries not only to provide an additional food source for my feathered friends, but to give them a place to hide. We also have caragana bushes alongside the house that is typically filled with birds. (Of course, Melvin, our deaf and not overly bright – dog is fixated on shadows, and chases the when they fly out of the shrubs but thats an entirely different topic.)

Finally, dont forget fresh water. At the very least give them a bird bath that you clean out on a regular basis, or hook up the sprinkler and let them bath and preen themselves. Ive seen robins have as good of a time in the sprinklers as our 3 year old son, Samuel, even if Samuel wasnt snacking on worms in the process.